1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a display device and a display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Display devices in which a display element or the like is provided on a thin flexible substrate such as a plastic substrate are currently receiving attention because they are considerably superior, in terms of lightweight and flexibility, to display devices which use a glass substrate or a silicon substrate. Techniques for providing a display element or the like on a flexible substrate include a direct method in which the display element or the like is directly provided on the flexible substrate. The techniques also include a transfer method in which the display element or the like is temporarily provided on a glass substrate, a silicon substrate, or the like and later transferred to a flexible substrate (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 10-125929, for example).
However, according to the above-described conventional transfer method, the display device is very weak in strength, and once the glass substrate, silicon substrate, or the like is removed, it is difficult to carry the display device.
To prevent this, a two-step process is carried out in which a thick support substrate is temporarily bonded to the front side of a display device, and then, the support substrate is separated or etched; after that, a flexible substrate is formed on the back side of the display device, and then, the support substrate is again separated or etched.
This two-step process requires more support substrates and also requires attachment and detachment processes for the support substrates. Accordingly, it is not only that costs are increased, but also that yields and quality are reduced, because the front side of the display device on which fine patterns are formed is exposed to an adhesive and an etchant.